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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Who doesn't love a delicious warm chocolately cake coming out of the oven????And with school starting back this week, what a wonderful treat to pop into a lunchbox. Treats in our home don't come in packets and they aren't full of fat!This one even warms the heart of those who aren't fond of fat-free baking!

Choc-Coco Sultana Slice

You'll need:1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour3/4 cup dessicated coconut1/2 cup coconut sugar (or other dry sweetener of choice)1/2 cup sultanas1/4 cup cocoa powder1 teaspoon vanilla1 cup soymilk (or other plant milk of choice)50 grams dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, coconut, sugar, cocoa powder and sultanas. Make sure the sultanas are coated well with dry mixture so they don't all sink when baked. Pour in the soymilk and vanilla. Stir until well combined.Break the chocolate into little pieces and stir through the mixture.Pour into a lined baking dish (I used 20x30cm) and bake in a preheated 200C for 20 minutes.Slice and serve.Or allow to cool before putting in a lunchbox!

Monday, January 27, 2014

I was a little undecided about what 'type' of potato I would use, then I decided to use two.I'm a BIG sweet potato fan, and my husband is a big regular potato fan. So this kept us both happy. And it looks pretty too :-)Super easy to make, its a great dish to serve when guests come over.

LAYERED 2 POTATO BAKE

Peel your sweet potatoes. Slice white potatoes and sweet potatoes into 1cm thick pieces.In a large roasting dish pour enough stock on the bottom to cover the base with a thin layer.Arrange the potatoes in rows of each type. Sprinkle with rosemary and bake covered with foil in a 200C oven for 45 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.

Question of the day:DO you prefer regular white potatoes or sweet potatoes?

Thursday, January 23, 2014

I really enjoy savoury muffins. My husband is not really a fan.I think they make a great accompaniment for tomato based meals like chili's and stews.But, I also quite enjoy eating them just plain.I think these would also work really well in a lunchbox instead of traditional sweet muffins.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

We all have those days when we walk in the door after work and need dinner on the table in less than half an hour. In fact, sometimes that happens more often than not in our busy lives.Here's a super easy meal to fall back on for those days:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta for the recommended time.Drain the pasta and return to the pot along with the mexican beans, spinach and spice. Stir over low heat until warmed through and spinach has wilted.

Serve sprinkled with nutritional yeast.

You can adjust the quantity of ingredients as needed.To serve 3, I used 250g pasta, 160g spinach, 1 can mexican beans and 1 teaspoon salsa spice mix.

I have discovered a new range of spice mixes! They are from an Australian Company called "Your Inspiration at Home". They make amazing products that add a wonderful taste to food and are super easy to use. They offer a HUGE range of spice blends, dip mixes, chocolate powders, baking spices, flavoured sugars and salts, along with tea and coffee. All the products have no added preservatives, MSG, gluten, or anti-caking agents. That means no numbers or letters! A big tick in my opinion!If you'd like more information about these products and how to purchase them contact me on this facebook page.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Welcome to What-I-Ate-WednesdayIt's been a while since I posted for WIAW. Life seems to be somewhat back in a regular routine now so with that comes a WIAW post. Wednesdays for me mean a packed lunch to take into work.Today's Bento box style lunch:

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

There are many benefits to following a whole food plant based diet, and
yes it has the ability to prevent and reverse some of our biggest
killers- heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But it doesn't matter whether
we die at 40 from a heart attack or live to
a ripe old age of 101 and die peacefully in our sleep, our eternal destination is secured by Jesus
sacrifice - not by our food choices.

Food is NOT our Saviour, Jesus is!

And with that in mind, sometimes I wonder why I blog. Its not of eternal value.

But
here's my dilemna --> I do actually ENJOY blogging. It becomes a
record of the recipes that my own family enjoy and an easy way to refer
to them without having scraps of paper all over the kitchen! You see, I
really do cook my own recipes and refer to them frequently!

I
also think it is wonderful to be able to share healthy recipes with
people in a way that is simple and easy to prepare, that fits in with
current lifestyles. Many people are searching for healthier ways of
living.

Why is it that eating has become such a confusing issue for modern day society?

I
do believe that people need to shift their eating habits to more
whole-foods and away from the processed garbage that floods us these
days.

When God created humans he gave us the ultimate plan for wholesome, nourishing food.

Genesis 1:29

I give you every seed-bearing
plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with
seed in it. They will be yours for food.

How did we lose our way?

Do we really need to be reminded by constant posts and recipes and new research findings?

Yet is that the worlds REAL issue???

Our world would see more transformation from hearts being won for Jesus than by dietary change.

But yet surely part of living for Jesus is looking after ourselves, as well as caring for his creation too!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.Numbers 35:33-34 (NIV)

Do
not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and
atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed,
except by the blood of the one who shed it.Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, I, the Lord.

So
surely if we ignor our health then that is not honouring God either!
And surely the farming practises that animals endure these days is not
the way God intended members of his creation to be treated.

But
at the same time we aren't honouring God if we are so focused on what
we eat, aiming to be ultra healthy and insanely environmentally
conscience, that we forget that God is the sustainer of all life and
that our aim in life should be His purposes and His kingdom!

Acts 17:24-25

The
God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.And
he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he
himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.The bible makes it very clear what our primary concern should be -->

Matthew 6:31-33So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Our culture seems to be obsessed with finding health and being concerned with what we look like.

We are taught to love and accept ourselves by the way we look and what we achieve.

And yet at the end of the day - do any of those things really matter???

Don't
get me wrong.... I will be vegan til the day I die. But it makes me
wonder if the time & energy I invest in my blog is worth it.

Is there something better I could be doing with my time?.......Perhaps we should be thanking God for the good foods he has given us to eat!Just like this church did:http://www.earthsave.org/mfh_gift_2013.htm I'm not one who sits here writing lengthy posts about all the benefits of a plant based diet. I leave that up to the experts. It's not more information that society needs. Its how to apply the information that we already have access to! I just provide a few easy recipes for those who are looking for meal options!So I guess for now I'll keep posting..... but without over committing myself to the point where I feel exhausted by it!Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 (NLT)The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful.
Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a
shepherd drives the sheep. But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for
writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.

Assemble lasagne by placing half the lentil mixture on the bottom of a large baking dish and spreading til evenly distributed. Spread a thin layer of the cheesy sauce over the lentils.Follow with two lasagne sheets. Spread a thin layer of Italian Passata Cooking sauce over the lasagne sheets.Add the remaining lentil mixture, topped by the remaining two lasagne sheets. Cover the lasagne sheets with the remaining cheesey sauce.Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Sorry I didn't post this sooner after Christmas. I have been enjoying spending time with my family whilst we are on a break from work and school!

I guess I feel like this post isn't really about a traditional 'Christmas meal' as such, but more about using up leftovers - regardless of what they are left-over from! Its about finding different ways to use what you have, instead of just reheating it and eating it.... again!

And also to share a few salad recipes that I love, which are quick & easy to make when large family gatherings require a variety of dishes! Let me start by sharing a picture of our Christmas dinner table:

As I saw it all sitting there it truly felt wonderful! Such healthy food! I love being able to host eating occasions and Christmas is no exception to the rule!

A huge range of salads always makes me smile!

I have mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of this couscous salad from PCRM. It's really delicious and seems to be like equally by omni's and herbies.

A garden salad never goes astray! I love to add fresh basil leaves from our garden and I love the added colour that a red onion gives.

I really enjoy making a rice salad too. I'm a big brown rice fan so I enjoy turning it into a sweet salad.

We made veggie kebabs for the BBQ which worked out way better than I was expecting! I enjoyed them even with the tomato!!! The veggies cooked really well and they were very tasty, even without oil or any dressing/marinade.Corn pieces on the BBQ always work out exceptionally well too.

There were quite a few kebab sticks leftover.So I just used a fork to
remove the vegetable pieces and warmed them in the microwave. Added them
to leftover garden salad along with some dressing I had made to be a
'leftovers lunch'.

Another PCRM recipe that I regularly make is this three bean salad (I just use whatever canned beans I have on hand, picture shows butter beans and a four bean mix).

The leftovers from the bean salad turned into a pasta meal for our family.

I just boiled some pasta and added the salad along with 1/2 cup tomato paste.

Super simple meal but totally delicious!

I also made my carrot salad recipe, just with the added addition of a grated apple too. This salad is quite sweet which makes it great for getting children used to enjoying some salads.

Leftovers also make wonderful carrot cake simply by combining wholemeal self-raising flour, a flax egg and some soymilk to the salad!!! ;-)

I made 3 kilograms of spiced wedges!Clearly I over-catered when it provided our family with a whole other meal. Though, I'm grateful for that really! We LOVE potato nachos!Our toppings were the leftover carrot, peas and corn mix with refried beans and salsa!

I can't finish this post without mentioning dessert of course!Chocolate coconut whipped cream with dark chocolate shavings.Everyone loves this and its so super quick & easy to make.A few cans of coconut cream left in the fridge overnight. Scoop out the top thickened layer being careful not to add the water below. Whip the cream using beaters. I add Your Inspiration at Home chocolate powder but cocoa powder works too.

I was so very very pleased with how well my trifle worked out.I made a basic vanilla cake (like this cake minus the cocoa), whole and blended raspberries, made soymilk custard and assembled them in layers. Topped with fresh berries to make a delicious vegan trifle :-)Everyone agreed it was super yummy!And I don't think you need to know how to use up leftover dessert! You just EAT IT! ;-)

Question of the day:Do you enjoy eating leftovers? Do you re-purpose them or just reheat and serve how it originally was?

Nuffnang

VEGAN

About Me

Hi,
I'm Sandy - I eat plants & I make sure they're yummy!
As much as I enjoy cooking, I think that most recipes need to be simple enough for everyday life, with the occasion time-consuming treat!
I hope you find my plant-foods yummy too......